Trooper kills man in traffic stop

A Roanoke Rapids man is dead after he was shot by a state trooper during a traffic stop.

The NC Highway Patrol said it happened Friday night around 10:30 p.m. when Trooper Matt W. Pitman stopped a 2005 Dodge pick-up truck on US 158, west of Roanoke Rapids.

Officials said the trooper determined that 64-year-old James Russell Moore, of Roanoke Rapids, had been drinking after he smelled a strong odor of alcohol. He ordered Moore out of the vehicle and discovered the driver had a concealed weapon in his pocket.

Moore was ordered to lie down on the ground and to not make any movements toward the weapon.

Officials said the trooper had given Moore the command several times before he reached into his pocket and raised a loaded handgun towards the trooper.

Pitman fired his weapon at Moore, wounding him.

Moore was taken to Halifax Regional Medical Center where he died from his injuries.

Pitman was placed on administrative duty, per standard procedure, while the State Bureau of Investigation reviews the case.